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Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Crisis in the Peruvian Amazon: The Cold Truth of Free Trade Terror

Greetings folks,

I'm sure many of you ahve been keeping up to date with developments in Peru, where the neoliberal government of Alan Garcia has been relentless in its attacks against indigenous protesters in the Amazon region, who are confronting the government's development plans in their territory. President Garcia has used the terms of "terrorism," "primitives," and "backwards" to describe the protesters, defying the growing class for justice after last week's government sponsored assault on the indigenous people. This is the model we have seen applied in the past in other countries. The hostile defiance of Garcia is not unlike the words we saw coming out of government officials in Colombia during lasy tear's MINGA POPULAR.

Below we post some information about these events, as well as some actions taking place this week, from Amazon Watch, the San Francisco based organization that has been paying close attention to these developments. We will continue keeping you posted on more news and analysis from Peru.

And be sure to tune into WBAI's Wake Up Call (www.wbai.org) this Friday, where we'll have a special report on events in Peru.

MAMA

FROM AMAZON WATCH:

On June 5, peaceful indigenous blockades in the Peruvian Amazon were marking their 56th day when they were violently attacked by the police. The protests are about a series of 'laws' that were passed to facilitate the Free Trade Agreement with the United States. Eyewitness testimonies that Amazon Watch has helped distribute worldwide, say that Police Special Forces opened fire on peaceful demonstrators, killing dozens and wounding over a hundred in an orchestrated attempt to open up the road. After days of hard work by the Amazon Watch staff and Peruvian indigenous rights advocates, the truth is finally being reported on CNN and other outlets. We are concerned about the government's threats to attack another peaceful road blockade where thousands, many of them Achuar, continue to protest. Please take action now to urge the government of Peru to peacefully resolve this conflict. You can hear a report from Amazon Watch Peru campaigner on our website, Gregor MacLennan, who is in Peru.

Even before the recent crisis in Peru, Amazon Watch campaigns were running at full speed. The pressure we mounted at Chevron's Annual Shareholder meeting on May 27th was unprecedented, when we co-released the report “The True Cost of Chevron” in coalition with a dozen organizations. Below, you can read more about Amazon Watch's face-to-face showdowns with the CEO and board of directors of Chevron and Conoco, two of the largest oil companies in the US. We thank you for your support. Please share this update with your friends.

For the Earth and future generations

Police Open Fire on Indigenous Blockade in the Peruvian Amazon - 40 Civilians and 22 Police Dead, 150 Injured: On Friday, June 5th, Peruvian Special Forces staged a violent raid on a peaceful blockade on a road outside of Bagua in a remote area of the northern Peruvian Amazon. Take Action today and send a letter to the Peruvian President and other decision makers. Also please donate to the Peru Emergency Fund to help Peruvian human rights groups respond to this crisis.

Chevron CEO Under Intense Fire from Shareholders: Hundreds of activists joined Amazon Watch outside Chevron's San Ramon headquarters to demand that the company take responsibility for cleaning up 18 billion gallons of toxic waste it left in the Amazon. Indigenous leader Emergildo Criollo, Goldman Award Winner Luis Yanza, and Amazon Watch founder Atossa Soltani directly addressed CEO David O’Reilly inside the meeting. Amazon Watch also released an important letter to shareholders explaining the Ecuador liability. Shareholders with $9 billion in shares supported a resolution about the Ecuador case.

US Demonstrations in Support of Peru’s Indigenous Peoples: While demonstrations in Peru escalated demanding repeal of laws passed to facilitate the US/Peru free trade agreement, activists and indigenous leaders took to the streets in New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco demanding that the Peruvian government engage in good faith dialogue, not violent repression. Amazon Watch also joined partner organizations in publicizing the situation at a recent UN indigenous rights forum. More protests are planned at Peruvian consulates in New York, San Francisco, and London. Help organize one in your city!

ConocoPhillips Urged to Abandon Peru Concessions: In collaboration with Save America’s Forests, Amazon Watch launched a report outlining concerns about the company’s current oil exploration of 10.5 million acres in one of the Amazon’s most ecologically fragile areas. Campaigners spoke at the company's annual meeting in Houston to challenge CEO Jim Mulva on the company’s operations in Peru, highlighting that uncontacted indigenous people live in one area where Conoco is working jointly with Spain’s Repsol. The report was distributed to board members, shareholders and media, resulting in wide coverage in industry press.

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About Me

Mario A. Murillo is Professor and Chair of the Department of Radio, Television, Film in the School of Communication at Hofstra University, where he teaches courses in radio production, journalism, media studies, and Latin American media. He is co-director of the Center for Civic Engagement at Hofstra, and executive producer of Hofstra's Morning Wake Up Call, heard Monday through Friday from 7:00-9:00am ET on WRHU Radio Hofstra University (88.7FM or wrhu.org).
In 2008, he spent six months living in Colombia, as a Fulbright Scholar, working at the Javeriana University in the Faculty of Communication, and the radio station Javeriana Estereo. He was also collaborating closely with the Tejido de Comunicación of the Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca. He is trying to finish a book about their role in the broader indigenous movement of Colombia and their use of community media.
A former host/producer on WBAI Pacifica Radio in New York, he was the host of the Friday morning edition of Wake Up Call; He also reported regularly for NPR's Latino USA, and writes a regular column for El Diario/La Prensa in NY.

Center for Civic Engagement

CCE started as an initiative by faculty committed to promoting student involvement in community and public life. CCE is a university institute designed to educate students in democratic values by actively engaging them as knowledgeable citizens in collaborative partnerships with their campus, local, state, national, and global communities.

WRHU Radio Streaming Live

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WBAI Pacifica Radio

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Pacifica Radio Network

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WNYC's BL Show on 04.16.09

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WNYC's BL Show - 04.13.09

Here's a link to the Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC, where I filled in today (04.13.09) as host. We covered a few interesting stories, including the role of the International Criminal Court in today's polarized world.

First Voices Indigenous Radio

Tiokasin Ghosthorse, friend and colleague, hosts a weekly radio show on WBAI about indigenous issues, culture, politics, north and south. Click on his image for a look at his website.

Some stories making headlines...

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Global Indigenous Media

Check out this exciting new book, just published by Duke University Press, which includes my essay which describes the mission and the work of the Tejido de Comunicación of the ACIN in Cauca. This text includes activists, scholars and practitioners who explore a broad range of issues relating to indigenous media.

Harvard Symposium on Indigenous Radio

Here's a link to the Harvard Gazette article written about the March 6-7th symposium on indigenous radio, where Tiokasin Ghosthorse and I participated in a panel on north-south media solidarity.

Un día más de infamia en Colombia

ACIN - Cauca, Colombia

The official website of the Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca, ACIN

National Indigenous Organization of Colombia

Click on this icon for the latest information from ONIC about the Popular and Indigenous Mobilization in Colombia, including their virtual radio station "Achi Bedea."

Consejo Regional Indígena del Cauca CRIC

Click on this icon for the official website of the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca, CRIC, the first indigenous, social organization in Colombia.

Actualidad Etnica

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Movement for Peace in Colombia - NYC

Click here for the link to the NYC-Based Colombia Peace Movement.

Amazon Watch

Keep up to date with the crisis in Peru and elsewhere.

Video from ACIN: Uribe Continues to Deny Use of Excessive Force on Indigenous Protesters

Click on this image for the latest video put out by the Tejido de Comunicación of ACIN, which shows some of the violence carried out against the indigenous protesters in the Minga Popular in Cauca.

Video may show Colombian police firing shots during protest

Click on this image for a link to CNN's report on the indigenous protests in Cauca which includes images of police firing shots during the mobilization.

Videos Minga Popular

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Indy Media Colombia

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Democracy Now

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open Democracy

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Institute for Policy Studies

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IPS-Inter Press Service News

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SIPAZ - Medios por la Paz en Colombia

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Red Nacional de Iniciativas por la Paz y Contra la Guerra

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Colombia and the United States: War, Unrest and Destabilization

Colombia and the U.S. argues that the conflict in Colombia is not about drugs, nor guerrillas, nor "terrorism," but rather about the unwillingness of the country's elite to open up spaces for truly democratic participation in areas of economic and social development and political representation.

Colombia y los EEUU: Guerra, Inquietud y Desestabilización

Click here for information on the Spanish publication of my 2004 book on Colombia and the United States.

Island's of Resistance: Puerto Rico, Vieques and US Policy

This book looks at US policy towards Puerto Rico, and examines the impact of its military occupation of Vieques.

Dispatches from Latin America

An important volume with a wide range of articles on the contemporary struggles of social movements in Latin America, edited by Vijay Prashad and Teo Ballvé